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Peavy topic of Red Sox trade discussions

The Red Sox are prepared to trade righthander Jake Peavy according to major league sources and are engaged in discussions with at least two teams, the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves.

Peavy is 1-7 with a 4.64 earned run average but has pitched well in his last two starts, allowing three earned runs over 12 innings. The 33-year-old would be an attractive pickup for a contending team.

Peavy is in the final year of his contract and has approximately $6.4 million remaining on his deal. Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak has acknowledged his team has a surplus of outfielders, a position where the Red Sox lack depth.

“I understand the situation where we are as a team. But I don’t want to get traded,” Peavy said on Monday night. “We’ll see where it goes. I love this team and the guys here but I know things happen.”

In Allen Craig, Jon Jay, Randal Grichuk and Shane Robinson, the Cardinals have a selection of outfielders the Red Sox could consider. St. Louis is unlikely to part with 22-year-old Oscar Tavaras.

Craig has at least $28 million remaining on his contract through 2017.

The Cardinals inquired about Peavy at this time last season before he was traded from the White Sox to the Red Sox as part of a three-team deal with the Detroit Tigers.

For the last-place Red Sox, trading Peavy would open a roster spot for 25-year-old righthander Rubby De La Rosa, who is tentatively scheduled to start on Wednesday.

GM Ben Cherington suggested earlier this month that he could make trades before the July 31 deadline that would not necessarily eat into the core of the team. Trading players like Peavy and catcher A.J. Pierzynski would be part of that strategy.